I like to tell my fellow (white) Texans: “Si usted quiere vivir aquí, debe aprender el idioma.” (Yes, Spanish is still European; but it’s been in Texas much longer than English.)
Kiowa, Onodaga, Chippewa, Kootenai, Cree, Seminole, Paiute, Apache, Quapaw, Umatilla, Arapaho, Ute, Pawnee....
I grew up just outside the Yakima reservation in central Washington state
I’m sorry, I have to confess my ignorance. I do not speak any of those languages. I have a pretty good understanding of English, some Russian, and a smattering of German. Wouldn’t it have been lovely if they had taught us Chippewa in grade school?
There's a wealth of information online on indigenous languages! I've even found a couple yt channels teaching náhuatl and Sicilian which are the language of my ancestors! There are also tiktok accounts focused on indigenous languages!
i dont tiktok but will look into other stuff. part of the issue with indigenous languages is that my brain only allows me to learn one language at a time and theres a lot of native languages lol. choice anxiety. 🙃
When I was younger, family mythology included a Lenape ancestor, for which I started trying to learn the Unami language. With better tools, though, we found the family myth wrong and I stopped, feeling like I was out of line. Now I’m wondering whether fear of disrespecting led to disrespecting.
English is the second language in the country, the original/first language is "Algonquian" language spoken by; "the real people here"= "Ninnuock"(Algonquin translation) That is the language the first settler immigrants first met.
I worked with many people who speak different languages. We have great potlucks at work. I don't feel threatened by different languages being spoken. My dad spoke French. I love diversity. More restaurants with different foods in town. Fuck Trump, Musky and Vance.
Be real, all white folks are nothing but land stealing bitches. Restore America, give it back to the Natives. Just negotiate with Trump, he’ll give it all up for a golf-course. Just a cheap golden statue of him on the middle of the course, painted is enough, and America is back where it belongs!
Just wondering; is any of those languages in duo lingo? Or an other language teaching app? Would not mind trying one of them on. (But then I'm from Europe, we like languages.)
In Alaska, we will be calling our mountain Denali, and we’ll still be recognizing our 21 official state languages, 20 of which are Native. F these BS executive orders.
White man made sure that wouldn't happen. They come, conquer and take over. Now you better learn their language, dress, eat, behave and believe their way. If you are too different, they will kill you, enslave you or tuck you out of the way on a piece of land that they don't want.
I wish I could. I'm Ojibwe and Comanche, I don't speak the languages of my grandfathers because they were stolen from their families and raised by white people
I like the story where a woman in a line is speaking an unfamiliar tongue, and another tells her she's America, she should speak American. The other woman says "I am, it's Navajo."
*BOOM!* HAHAHAHAHA!!
Right.fucking.on! I'm white & EDUCATED. This was no more a white nation than Elon Musk is an "Patriotic".. & no more than Christianity was what this nation was founded on. Natives had the right ideas... Whites destroy the planet & each other. These are facts.
My youngest attends a certain college here that sits on tribal land. Unfortunately, it's surrounded by a sea of ignorant, malevolent MAGAts.
One of the first words their new (indigenous) friends taught them was "ininiikaazo", and that they are truly & openly accepted as they are, for who they are.
I wish I could speak a Native language. I've tried learning other languages & I don't seem to have an ear for it. So many languages sound almost musical compared to American English.
Can I borrow this the next time I hear someone complaining about Spanish being spoken? I would love to see their face when I say why are we not speaking Cherokee/Tsalagi instead. Why do we (me) included expect others to conform to when we should be willing to conform to other races religions foods.
So does this mean we can finally get rid of the first porn star Milankia?. Decades in this country and she still can't speak a full paragraph of English. Probably why she had to lie on her immigration paperwork.
As a Canadian with quite a lot of experience in the federal government, I will say it would be less expensive and simpler to have a policy or law that insists that business within the government is English only but that some citizen-facing services will be available in multiple languages.
Years ago, watching a TV mystery with Navaho actors playing Navaho characters speaking Navaho with English subtitles
I got up from my chair. One character spoke. I asked my husband who was speaking Hungarian. He said no, it was Navaho. I knew exactly what the character said. Long lost relatives.
Comments
I grew up just outside the Yakima reservation in central Washington state
Please send me back to Norway!
Cherokee /Onödowaʻ’ga
I'd just like to point out, English is not even the "official" language in England.
Cos we're not so fucking fragile that we need an official language.
You could look into what nations are in your area and pick one of those! I have two main nations in my city!
because its the Tuscarora of Eastern N.C.
So it's off-topic and even disrespectful to center Settlers
*BOOM!* HAHAHAHAHA!!
One of the first words their new (indigenous) friends taught them was "ininiikaazo", and that they are truly & openly accepted as they are, for who they are.
The other two, however…total refusal to speak even English!
But right! ❤️
I got up from my chair. One character spoke. I asked my husband who was speaking Hungarian. He said no, it was Navaho. I knew exactly what the character said. Long lost relatives.